Cal Poly SLO Parks and Recreation (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies
- Public university
- San Luis Obispo, CA
- About 102 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release ยท BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Cal Poly SLO parks and recreation graduates earn more than graduates of most parks and recreation programs nationally, $39,157 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $16,369 in federal loans, less than at 89% of parks and recreation programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying parks and recreation degrees in California.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The California and national columns are the medians across all parks and recreation bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Debt and first-year pay at every California parks and recreation program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the California medians.
Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.
Does family income change the outcome?
Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $5,424 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $174 a month, or 5.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
31 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $28,863.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
86% of graduates (60 of 70) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the San Luis Obispo area are about 9% above the national average, so a $39,157 salary here buys what about $36,057 buys in a typical US city.
About Cal Poly SLO
Parks and Recreation ranks 35th of 50 bachelor's programs at Cal Poly SLO by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($111,560), Computer Science ($111,141), and Construction Management ($92,785).
Common questions
The median graduate earns $39,157 one year after graduating. The median across parks and recreation bachelor's programs in California is $33,920.
The median federal loan balance is $16,369, which ranks 4th lowest of 8 parks and recreation bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $174 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 42% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 66%.
Most do. 86% (60 of 70) were working in California one year after graduating.
About this data
- Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
- Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
- Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
- Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of California comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
- Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
- School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the parks and recreation program.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
- Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024